It’s no secret that maintaining an active lifestyle is mandatory if we want to stay fit and healthy, mentally and physically. However, in a world full of time consuming demands, finding time to get our workouts in can be challenging.

Sadly, with work, family and school activities quickly filling our schedules, if we don’t make exercise a priority, it’s too easily one of the first things “dismissed.”

Funny that we allow life’s demands to get in the way of staying healthy, isn’t it? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we be working hard to stay healthy to succeed with life’s demands?

The reality is – although we struggle to find time in our super busy 24-hour day, we can’t afford “not to exercise.” Our health and ultimately our success depend on it.

Next time you’re tempted to shove your workout routine to the bottom of your priority list, ask yourself one question – “what’s going to happen in the years down the road if I continue to live a sedentary lifestyle?” “What’s going to happen to my body if I don’t exercise?”

If you are totally honest with yourself, you will soon realize that you are only exchanging time saved now for time spent on multiple doctors’ appointments, clinic visits and hospital stays in the future. Is that really the road you want to travel?

If health is really a priority in your life, then exercise will be also. From this perspective, finding time to work out will become more of a creative challenge than exercising a “flimsy excuse.”

Here’s a few creative ways to find/make time for fitness:

Plan ahead –

Whenever you put your schedule together, whether its weekly or monthly, make your work-out routine as important as your Doctor visits and other demanding appointments, because it is. The chances of you following through are much greater if it’s scheduled into your calendar of appointments. When you view your calendar daily, you’ll form a mental image which helps you to stay motivated.

Honor Yourself –

If you ever hope to succeed long-term with your exercise goals, you must be “true to yourself.” Don’t force yourself into routines you don’t enjoy doing. All that does is cause a lot of anxiety and dislike and opens the doors to all types of excuses, especially the “I don’t have time” excuse. Analyze your own lifestyle and personality and experiment with different forms and times. Choose something that fits your personality, schedules and taste. If you’re in it for the long-term (and you should be) then you must enjoy doing it. Find what works best for you and do it.

Learn to delegate –

Every menial task we perform daily eats a small amount of time. But added together all these menial tasks take up a chunk of time. You must lighten the load and eliminate tasks that don’t demand your personal touch. Delegating can be hard, especially for control freaks. However, learning to let go of things that can be done less often or that don’t need doing at all opens a window of exercising opportunity. It’s all about prioritizing and eliminating the “time stealers.”

Family affair –

Don’t use the family as an excuse not to exercise. Use them as your motivation. Schedule fun, challenging family activities such as day hikes, bike rides or even family trips to the local gym. Not only does everyone benefit physically and mentally, but when your children notice how important exercise is to you…it becomes important to them. A very healthy cycle to nurture!

Make the most of your mornings –

Mornings are the least demanding time for most of us. As we get deeper into our days, daily demands become louder and more insistent. It’s best to make your exercise routine “the way you start your day.” It kicks in your “feel-good endorphins,” and sharpens you mentally and physically. It gives you that boost of self-confidence needed to face the demands of the day.

Limit screen time –

Yep, that’s all screen time. TV, computer, iPad, smart phones. If you’ve never actually logged your screen time, its time you did. Most likely you’ll be surprised to find out how much time is spent aimlessly staring at a backlit screen. You don’t need to cut it out…you need to limit it.

Bottom line is this – Every one of us is allotted the same amount of time daily – 24 hours. It’s what we do with that time that determines the quality of life we experience now and in our future.

There’s always time to exercise when exercise is a priority – the real question is “are you ready to get moving?”

Being physically active is the stimulus that gets the human body working its best while preventing it from deteriorating.

If you fail to challenge your joints and muscles to stay strong they will continue to weaken and fail.

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